Engage your local mayor

November 20, 2012

Aim: to persuade your local mayor and other council officials to join in efforts to achieve a global ban on nuclear weapons

ICAN works in partnership with Mayors for Peace, a global network of more than 5,000 local governments in 150 countries working to create a more peaceful world free from the threat of nuclear weapons. Led by the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it aims to galvanize support from local communities for the complete abolition of nuclear weapons by 2020.

The Mayors for Peace network is a highly respected voice in the worldwide movement to eliminate nuclear weapons. It operates on the principle that no town or city should ever be the target of a nuclear attack and that the only effective way to address the nuclear threat is to outlaw and eliminate all nuclear weapons without further delay.

Action ideas for mayors

Publicity: Inform the public on your website, in your newsletter and in the local press that you are a Mayor for Peace

Exhibition: Host a Mayors for Peace exhibition about the nuclear threat and worldwide efforts to achieve abolition

Peace pillar: Erect a peace pillar in a public place to focus the public’s attention on the need for nuclear abolition

Hiroshima visit: Fund students from your city/municipality to visit the Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima, Japan

Commemorations: Hold a public event on August 6 or 9 to mark the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Japan in 1945

Motions: Pass a resolution through your council expressing support for a treaty to ban all nuclear weapons

Delegations: Take part in Mayors for Peace delegations at meetings with national governments

Network: Encourage other mayors in your area to join and become active in the Mayors for Peace network